The subject matter disclosed herein relates to X-ray imaging systems and more particularly to correcting for image artifacts in X-ray image data in X-ray imaging systems.
Digital X-ray imaging systems are becoming increasingly widespread for producing digital data which can be reconstructed into useful radiographic images. In current digital X-ray imaging systems, radiation from a source is directed toward a subject, typically a patient in a medical diagnostic application. A portion of the radiation passes through the patient and impacts a detector. The scintillator of the detector converts the radiation to light photons that are sensed. The detector is divided into a matrix of discrete picture elements or pixels, and encodes output signals based upon the quantity or intensity of the radiation impacting each pixel region, as measured by a receptor. The signals may then be processed to generate an image that may be displayed for review.
The relationship between input intensity of the radiation impacting the detector and detector output may vary between the pixels of the detector. Calibration of the detector can correct for such variations. However, the relationship between intensity of radiation impacting the detector and detector output can be difficult to calibrate across a certain dynamic range of X-ray doses that may be applied to the detector.